


An Old Friend

by comicc_bookk_jawnss



Series: Caretaker Dani [11]
Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comicc_bookk_jawnss/pseuds/comicc_bookk_jawnss
Summary: After a run-in with someone from her past, Jamie finally opens up to Dani about her time in London.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Series: Caretaker Dani [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2146191
Comments: 3
Kudos: 63





	An Old Friend

Dani was ringing up the order when Jamie walked out of the back room, eyed the customer and froze. The woman, too, had looked over instinctively at the sound of the door closing and then frozen herself. Dani, busy working on the order form, wouldn’t have even noticed the exchange, if the woman hadn’t spoken.

 **"** Oh… ma god."

Dani looked up first at her, noticing she’d turned several shades whiter, then over at Jamie, who looked as if she’d been punched in the stomach. While Dani had noticed the woman’s British accent — not exactly like Jamie’s, but not posh, either — she hadn’t thought anything of it. It’s not like Jamie knew everyone in England. But this one, evidently, she did, and rather well by the looks of it.

As Dani watched, Jamie’s face contorted with anger — no, not anger, rage. Dani was already rushing over as Jamie’s right hand curled into a fist. She reached her just as she heard the glass door open and close. The woman was gone.

Jamie was breathing so heavily Dani could feel it against her face. She gently took Jamie’s hand and tried to open it but was met with resistance.

 **"** Jamie… "

Jamie’s hand started trembling. Dani massaged it.

 **"** Please let me - "

Jamie looked down, shaking her head.

"Jamie… "

She’d seen Jamie upset before, but never like this.

 **"** Please go home. I - I don’t want to scare you."

With her other hand, Dani gently tilted up Jamie’s chin.

 **"** Hey."

Jamie reluctantly looked her in the eye.

 **"** You could never scare me."

She leaned forward until her forehead touched Jamie’s, which was beaded with sweat. After a few moments, she felt Jamie’s breathing start to slow; and a few moments after that, she felt Jamie’s hand unfurl in hers. Dani pulled back just enough to examine it.

Blood from finger nail marks seeped between Jamie’s fingers onto Dani’s palm. Dani could’ve cried, but she knew that wasn’t what Jamie needed right now.

 **"** I’ll… go get the first aid kit."

She didn’t want to let go of Jamie, but she didn’t want to move her, either — not yet, anyway. She was back behind the counter in a matter of seconds, rummaging through the cabinets below.

 **"** Dani…"

It was barely a whisper. And then her vision went black.

*****

**"** Erin was ma first real friend."

They were back at the apartment, sitting on the couch. Dani had known Jamie would talk when she was ready.

After getting her patched up and taking her home, though, Dani had insisted she rest. Jamie had tried to assure her that she was fine, though she actually felt even worse than before, knowing she’d scared Dani, after all, when she’d collapsed. But then she’d realized she needed to sleep for Dani’s sake as much as hers, so she’d laid her head on Dani’s lap and drifted off.

Now, a few hours later, she was sat up, still in Dani’s lap, telling a story she’d never told anyone.

 **"** I met her pretty soon after I moved to London. And it was like meeting… maself. We were born the same week. She was a few days older, had lived in London her whole life. But under… similar circumstances."

Jamie took a shaky breath. Dani continued rubbing her back.

 **"** We never, uh… I mean, she had a boyfriend. Right cunt he was. And she knew it, too… but she’d just take it. No what matter what I said, she never… "

Jamie cleared her throat.

 **"** I don’t know if… I didn’t even really understand why I was so… attached to her… But whatever she knew or didn’t know, she took care a me… We took care of each other, I guess."

Jamie laughed.

 **"** Not that we knew what we were doin’. We spent most of our time gettin’ pissed. Her boyfriend was older and a bartender, so… "

Jamie looked down and started picking at the bandage on her hand. But Dani took her hand and gently pulled it away, massaging it.

 **"** I, uh, I eventually got a job at a grocery store. But, you know, when I’d first arrived, it was rough, and Erin… she taught me, you know, how to… how to look out for maself. And I’m not sayin’ it was right, but - "

 **"** Jamie."

Jamie slowly turned to her. It was the first time she was looking at Dani since she’d started talking.

 **"** You were just a kid."

 **"** You wouldn’a done it," Jamie countered.

 **"** You don’t know that. _I_ don’t know that."

Jamie looked down again.

 **"** And, in any case, if you hadn’t learned to take care of yourself, we never would have met."

Jamie finally smiled.

 **"** After I got my job, I went straight — well, not… ya know what I mean."

Dani laughed, and Jamie’s smile brightened but then faded.

 **"** I still squatted in places. I still drank. But I stopped… But then, a couple years later, Erin had a… request."

Dani squeezed Jamie’s hand, feeling her tense up.

 **"** She needed help with a job, a big one, way bigger than anything we’d ever pulled. At first, I said no. We’d been drifting apart, anyway… But she said she really needed the money. Wouldn’t say why, but she looked… scared, in a way I’d never seen her."

Jamie stared into space, as if she were right back there, in that moment. Then, she looked down and swallowed.

 **"** So… the day a ma 18th birthday — er, night of it, rather… we broke into the jewelry store. Well, she did. She’d promised I could just be the lookout, not that that wasn’t - "

Dani squeezed her hand again. Jamie nodded.

 **"** So, a few minutes went by, she was almost done."

Jamie shuddered.

 **"** And then it all went wrong."

She cleared her throat.

 **"** The owner, this old bloke, came barging outta the back, shoutin’ that the police were on their way. And Erin, she had the cash. She had enough time. She shoulda just run. I told ’er to, begged ’er to follow me. But… she panicked… and punched him. And he fell back into a glass case."

Dani gasped, despite herself.

 **"** Yeah… Erin looked back at me, almost said somethin’."

Jamie cleared throat.

 **"** But then she ran out the back… and I never saw her again… until… "

Jamie was struggling to keep her voice steady.

 **"** Oh, honey… "

Dani pulled her closer until Jamie’s head was resting against her shoulder, then kissed Jamie’s forehead. Jamie didn’t speak for a bit, breathing in and out to stop herself from crying. Once she’d sufficiently calmed herself, she pressed on.

 **"** I went to check on the owner, Mr. Thomas, just… automatically. It was almost outta body, didn’t feel real. I heard maself sayin’ “I’m sorry” over and over, saw maself lookin’’im over. He was… he was barely conscious and bleedin’, but not… I’d seen worse. But it was bad. By the time I got my wits about me, I could already hear the sirens, see the lights. They walked in and found me crouched over him, his blood on ma hands, with bills that had fallen outta Erin’s bag strewn about."

Jamie laughed darkly.

 **"** Couldn’t blame them for jumpin’ to conclusions, really… But Mr. Thomas, I don’t know what possessed him, but he got them to drop the assault charge, even tried to get them to charge me as minor for the robbery. He had connections, I guess. I was charged as an adult in the end but only got two years. They agreed to be lenient if I plead guilty, which I’d planned to do anyway, but two years was more than lenient. So, I reckon that must’a been his doin’, too."

Jamie sat up again so she could look Dani again.

 **"** He came to visit me once in prison."

Jamie smiled.

 **"** Only person who ever did."

She looked away again.

 **"** I tried to visit him when I got out, went back to the shop."

She swallowed.

 **"** Turned out he’d died, a month after I’d seen ’im… car accident."

Silent tears were now falling down Dani’s face.

 **"** Jamie, I’m so sorry."

Jamie looked back at her, smiling sadly.

 **"** The worst part is I’d gone there to confront ’im. I’d spent so much time inside resentin’’im for never visitin’ again. I’d wanted one person, just one… "

Jamie’s voice broke.

 **"** To explain to me… why I’d never been worth… "

Jamie was starting to sob now, finally.

 **"** And, turned out… he was the only one hadn’t - "

She’d buried her face in Dani’s chest before she could finish the thought.

*****

Dani saw her first. Looked up just in time to see her reach for the door. But Dani beat her to it, stepped outside and closed it softly behind her.

 **"** You need to leave."

It took all Dani had not to shout the words. Erin took a deep breath.

 **"** Please, I jus’ - "

 **"** No."

 **"** I jus’ wanna explain!"

 **"** Bit late for that."

She spit the words. Normally, she would never have dreamed of being so hostile, to anyone. But, she never would have dreamed of being so angry at someone, either, until now. Erin sighed, seeming to have finally taken the hint.

But just then, Jamie walked out. Dani immediately turned around to face her, not eager for a repeat of yesterday.

 **"** She’s leaving, I promise."

 **"** S’all right."

Before Dani could react, Jamie had walked around her. Dani whipped around, bracing for the worst. But Jamie walked right past Erin, didn’t even acknowledge her. She walked a few more paces before turning toward a boy sitting on the bench outside their shop. Dani had been so preoccupied she hadn’t even noticed him.

 **"** You skate?"

The boy looked up from his Gameboy, startled. Jamie nodded to the skateboard propped against the bench.

 **"** Oh… yeah."

He had an American accent. Jamie smiled.

 **"** Let’s see it then."

She gestured to the sidewalk ahead of them. The boy smiled shyly and stood up, shoving his Gameboy in the pocket of his cargo shorts. He looked about 12 and was already the same height as Jamie. He looked back at his mom, who nodded, then grabbed his skateboard and started walking down the sidewalk with Jamie. Something she said made him laugh.

Dani stepped forward to stand alongside Erin, who was several inches taller than her. Erin had a hand clapped over her mouth. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She tried to compose herself upon noticing Dani.

 **"** She should hate me… I would hate me."

For a moment, Dani didn’t say anything.

 **"** Good thing she’s not you."

Erin nodded. Jamie and her son had reached the end of the block now. He put the board down and pushed off. Weaving from the side to side, he did an olley, then slowed to a stop about ten feet from them. Jamie, who’d been jogging behind him, reached him as he kicked the board up to himself.

 **"** Nice job, mate!"

He smiled at the praise, even when wider when she followed it up with a high five.

 **"** I think… your olley could use some work, though."

Jamie was smirking now. The boy laughed and handed her his board. She dropped it to the ground and pushed off in a matter seconds and much harder than he had. She zipped down the sidewalk and did an olley. Dani knew nothing about skateboarding, and she was rather biased, but it looked perfect to her. Just before reaching the end of the block, Jamie did another olley for good measure, then a wheelie and spun around to face them.

The boy, slack-jawed, turned to his mom.

 **"** She is so cool!"

Erin and Dani smiled. Jamie was coming up on them now. She slowed, kicked the board up, caught it mid-air before her feet touched the ground, then handed it back to the boy, who still hadn’t closed his mouth.

 **"** You have to teach me how to do that, all of that!"

Jamie cleared her throat.

 **"** I’m sure she’s a busy woman. We’ll let you carry on."

Erin walked over to her son, putting an arm around his shoulder to get him moving. But he stayed planted where he was, eyes still locked on Jamie. Erin leaned down to whisper in his ear.

 **"** Jamie, c’mon."

Jamie froze just as she had the day before, then looked over at Dani. But evidently, Dani hadn’t heard. Little Jamie finally turned away and started moving.

 **"** Wait."

Jamie turned to face them.

 **"** He can… you and Jamie can, ya know… from time to time."

Little Jamie’s grin could’ve split his face. He looked just like his father, yet nothing like him. Erin looked shell-shocked, then like she wanted to say something; and this time, she found the words.

 **"** Thank you."

Jamie nodded curtly, then headed toward Dani. Erin and Little Jamie resumed their walk in the opposite direction. He stole one last look at his namesake, then faced forward.

 **"** Told you she was cool."

Jamie smiled briefly to herself as she walked into Dani’s waiting arms.

 **"** You’re amazing, you know that?"

She felt Jamie laugh into her shoulder. Dani tried for a smile herself, but she felt a familiar knot tightening in the pit of her stomach. 

**"** It’s not the same," Jamie said after a few minutes.

Dani had been so lost it thought, she almost jumped.

 **"** What?"

 **"** You’re not the same as her."

Dani still hadn’t gotten completely used to Jamie being able to read her mind, even though she could read Jamie’s just as readily. Dani was suddenly blinking back tears.

 **"** But - "

 **"** No, 'but.'"

Jamie pulled back, so she could look at her. She cupped Dani’s face, brushing away tears with her thumbs.

 **"** You did the right thing, and I will never resent ya for it."

Dani shook her head sadly.

 **"** You are the bravest person I’ve ever met, Poppins, the best person I’ve ever met… And you are… and will always be the only person who has ever loved me, loved me completely."

Dani looked down, her lips trembling.

 **"** You make me happier than I have ever been, and I wouldn’t trade this time with ya for anything. I wouldn’a made any other choice."

Dani, softly crying now, looked back up. Jamie pulled her close once more, kissed the side of her head, then cradled the back of her head.

 **"** And I will always love you completely. Always."


End file.
